Patagonia School -Spanish Courses-
Why be a volunteer?
Volunteering means spending some of your free time helping others. You may volunteer to help people. But you can also volunteer to protect animals, the environment, or any other cause that you care about.
However, there are other aspects to volunteering which people also find very appealing, such as:
• Educating people in the community about fire safety
• Continually learning and practicing useful skills
• Doing physical work
• Belonging to a team
• Forming friendships and socialising togetherWho are volunteers?
Volunteers come from all parts of the community, different backgrounds and a wide range of ages.
Men and women of every trade, profession and calling become volunteers.
Educational project
Many current opportunities are available in education. If you have an intermediate to advanced level of Spanish and are staying at least three weeks, you may have the opportunity to teach approximately 45 children aged 4 to 12 years old, all from indigenous families with very scarce economic resources. Located in a rural community in the mountains near Bariloche, a short bus ride and then a walk brings you to the one-room school. Because there is only one regular teacher to teach all seven primary grades, your help is indispensable in improving the quality of instruction and attention given to the children. If your Spanish level is lower, you may have the opportunity to teach English to children at a local elementary school.
Cost: Spanish Course + Homestay + Volunteer work: u$s 280 p/week *
Minimum stay: 3 weeks
Hours per week: 6
Available all year round
Spanish level required: basic.
Animal Refuge 
Patagonia School Refuge is a not for profit no-kill organization dedicated to the overall protection, care and conservation of animals. We specialize in the rescue, care, and placement of our animals, and providing a life home for those animals that have been left behind and are not adoptable. We also specialize in the education of the children in our community; and are committed to teach and train how to properly care for animals through several programs offered at the Refuge, including a “Work and Earn” program that allows children who cannot afford and do not treat their animals properly to do so. By spending time helping at the Refuge they earn the right foods and medications to tend to their own animals as well as being taught the proper ways to feed, groom, handle and give basic care to the animals they love.
By making a small monthly donation she can make this dream a reality for so many animals to live out their lives in peace.
Meet our refuge: http://picasaweb.google.com/refugiopatagoniaschool
Cost: Spanish Course + Homestay + Volunteer work: u$s 280 p/week *
Available all year round
Hours per week: 15
Minimum stay: 1 week
Spanish level required: basic.
Our Foundation 
The Project aims to improve the parent-child relationship and their communication within a space of mutual respect, we also think that to educate is to nurture a child’s intelligence and creative forces within his/her own limits so that he/she feels free to think, feel, and judge in an independent way with real love.
We offer single and family office hours in different modalities like:
Domiciliary visits.
Support Groups for:
Early Infancy parents
Preadolescent and adolescent parents
Adolescents
Courses given by guest professionals (some from other places).
Publication of articles in local newspapers and magazines.
Radio programs: “Viendo crecer a nuestros hijos” (“As we watch our children grow” in Del Lago Radio Station), and “Criando a nuestros hijos en libertad” (“Raising our children in freedom” in El Arka Radio Station)
Work in marginal communities at risk.
Telephone consultations.
Building actual support nets between mothers and families at risk.
Meet our Foundation: www.crianzaconsciente.blogspot.com
www.crianzaconsciente.org.ar
Cost : Spanish Course + Homestay + Volunteer work: u$s 280 p/week *
Minimum stay: 1 week
Hours per week: 9
Available all year round
Spanish level required: basic.
Volunteer at a National Park 
Volunteer programs in National Park Nahuel Huapi take place during January & February. Applicants must previously fill out a form (speaking Spanish is required) read and accept the rules. The arrangements must be made in advance since you will have to do some paperwork, we recommend you apply one month in advance (by email). For these programs, you must work 30 days, at least. Volunteers will assist the tourists, help with the maintenance of the tracks and of the historical museum, patrol the tracks to detect problems, and related tasks. Volunteers will be sharing a house at the Park with other local (Argentine) volunteers who are training to be park rangers. Each volunteer will buy their own food. Volunteers need a police clearance check to volunteer at National Parks in Argentina.
Cost: Free
Spanish level required: Fluent
Minimum stay: 1 month.
Work as a babysitter 
Many families are poor and need work a lot but they can’t pay a salary for a babysitter so this children are alone all day at home and they can’t go to school and have lunch. You will help care for the children, drive them to school and school activities, read stories, bath babies.
Cost: Spanish Course + Homestay + Volunteer work: u$s 280 p/week *
Minimum stay: 1 month
Hours per week: 20
Available all year round
Spanish level required: very good
* Costs included donations.
